Lights out for Pakistan

guardian.co.uk

The government is ultimately to blame for widespread riots in response to power cuts and escalating electricity bills

For the past year the public in Pakistan has been incensed by daily power cuts. The past month saw unprecedented black-outs of 12 hours. Then, like a back-hand in the dark, business owners and working class alike have been slapped with a bill charging them three times the usual monthly charge for electricity. The official explanation for the price hike is that energy supply companies have began charging higher tariffs earlier than planned. Lahore Electric Supply Company officials anonymously told a reporter from Urdu daily paper Jang that they were given revenue targets to reach.